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| Lepidonella sirindhornae Nilsai & Jantarit, in Nilsai, Engchuan et Jantarit. 2025. |
Abstract
The genus Lepidonella is widely distributed across Southeast Asia, South Asia, Papua New Guinea, the Melanesian region, Australia, Africa, and the Americas. To date, only a single species of the genus has been formally recorded from Thailand. However, numerous undescribed species, particularly from southern Thailand, have been reported, indicating a greater diversity than currently recognized. This study presents the first formal description of a Lepidonella species from a cave habitat in the country. Lepidonella sirindhornae Nilsai & Jantarit, sp. nov. is described and illustrated from Tham Phraya Bangsa in Satun Province. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by a unique combination of morphological characters, including labial chaetotaxy formula (M1m2rEL1L2), elongation of antennal length (3.5–5.1 antenna: head ratio), presence of 6+6 eyes and a distinctive number of chaetae on both the anterior and posterior surfaces of the ventral tube. Additionally, this study provides a distribution map of the genus Lepidonella found in Thailand, underscoring the diversity of cave-dwelling species in the region and the need for further taxonomic investigation.
Keywords: cave, Entomobryoidea, Isthmus of Kra, new species, taxonomy
Areeruk Nilsai, Ronnaphon Engchuan and Sopark Jantarit. 2025. The Lepidonella sirindhornae sp. nov. , A New Collembola species from Southern Thailand. Tropical Natural History. Suppl. 8; 449-459.
